Sparking plug.



PATENTED 001". 25, 1904.

0. F. SPLITDORF. SPARK'ING PLUG. APPLIGATION I ILBD MAR. 13,1903.

H0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

PATIENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. SPLITDORF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO ELECTRIC VEHICLECOMPANY, OF JERSEY OF NEW JERSEY.

CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION SPARKING PLUG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,168, dated October25, 1904.-

Application filed March 13, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES F. SPLITDoRF, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residingin the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, andState of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement inSparking Plugs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means, in conjunction with a sparking plug, toignite gaseous IO charges in explosive-engines whereby an auxiliaryspark-gap located in the secondary circuit of the induction-coil may beconveniently arranged with relation to said sparking plug for purposesof inspection to indicate the op- 5 eration of the coil, and said meansfurther providing for the adjustment of the opposing conducting members,between which said auxiliary spark-gap is produced, whereby the extentof said spark-gap may be regulated in an extremely simple and convenientmanner.

The invention further comprises the details of construction which willbe specifically described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying this application, Figure l is an elevationof a sparkplug, showing the holder for the conducting members betweenwhich the auxiliary sparkgap is formed and showing diagrammatically 3the secondary circuit of an induction-coil.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the support for the conducting members, andFig. 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

In the figures the letter A indicates the usual sleeve about the plug asscrewed into bushing a, which bushing is screwed into the wall a. of thecombustion-chamber of an explosive-engine.

B indicates the spark-point, which projects 4 into thecombustion-chamber from the usual insulated electrode within theplug andwhose opposite end is in contact with the cap of the binding-post 6,while a indicates the opposite spark-point, which projects from thesleeve A and which, through the binding-post a and terminal 0, is incircuit with the secondary winding C.

D indicates a strip of non-conducting ma- Serial Nol4=7,610. (No model.)

terial (preferably mica) which is secured at one end to the plug bymeans of the bindingscrew d, passed through said strip and screwed into.the binding-post b. In making this connection I bore a hole throughstripD and place therein an eyelet d. I then take a small flat conductingmember d2, of soft metal, pierce it, and pass it over the eyelet topermit said flat cond ucting member to lie against and parallel upon thestrip D, whereupon the periphwardly to form retaining-flanges in the actof riveting the eyelet upon strip D, thus securing the conducting member(Z to strip D. The free end of conducting member (Z lying upon strip D,is narrowed to form a sparkpoint d In opposed relation thereto isanother like conducting member E, reversely arranged and havingspark-point 6, so that the two spark-points d 6 lie normally in the sameplane and are separated from each other by a space or gap of apredetermined extent.

The conducting member E is secured upon strip D by a riveted eyelet e. Abindingscrew F is passed through eyelet e, and upon said screw F areplaced the nuts ff to hold between them when tightly screwed theopposite terminal 0 of the secondary circuit. Thus with the excitationof the secondary circuit sparking occurs across the gap interveningbetween the spark-points (Z c, this result serving to intensify thecurrent discharge at the spark-points B 6& within the combustionchamber.

According to the strength of the batteries employed, and in order to beable to attain the best results with new or part-ly-run-down batteries,I find it desirable to regulate the distance or extent of spaceseparating the spark-points (Z e, setting them farther apart when thebatteries are new and bringing them closer together when the batteriesare partly exhausted. To this end the conducting members d Eare composedof soft or ductile metal, and their spark-points, when said members lieflat upon the strip D, are in the closest practical sparking relation toeach other. Thus it will be seen that the distance separateral edges ofsaid eyelet (Z are spread out ing said points may be increasedconsiderably and according to the requirements of battery and otherconditions by bending one or both of such members, as indicated bydotted lines in Fig. 1, to enlarge the intervening space or spark-gap.This convenient means of regulating the auxiliary spark-gap renders suchelement in the secondary circuit of great practical utility, because itenables the attainment of an accurate adjustment of the spark-points (Zc.

I prefer to construct the holder D of mica, because a strip consistingof mica laminations has ample strength for the purpose, and thismaterial will withstand the effects of the heat generated in theauxiliary spark-gap without being subject to deterioration therefrom.

Having now described my invention, 1 declare that What I claim is- 1.The combination with asparking plugarranged in the secondary circuit ofan inductioncoil, of a pair of opposed auxiliary conducting members insaid circuit separated by a spark-gap, a supporting-holder ofnon-conducting material for said conducting members, and means forsecuring said holder upon said plug.

2. The combination with a sparking plugarranged in the secondary circuitof an induction-coil, of a pair of opposed auxiliary conducting membersin said circuit separated by a spark-gap, a supporting-holder of micafor said conducting members, and means for se curing said holder uponsaid plug.

3. The combination with a sgarking plug arranged in the secondarycircuit of an induction-coil, of a pair of opposed auxiliary conductingmembers in said circuit separated by a spark-gap, a supporting-holder ofnon-conducting material for said conducting members, a binding-screwpassed through said non-conducting holder and one of said conductingmembers, to unite them upon the plug, and means securing the otherconductingmember upon the non-conducting holder.

4. A holder composed of a strip of mica, a pair of eyelets rivetedtherein, said holder being secured to a sparking plug by thebindingscrew of the latter being passed through one of said eyelets, aterminal binding-post secured through the other eyelet, a pair ofconducting members having opposed auxiliary sparkpoints supported uponsaid holder and secured thereto respectively by said eyelets, and asecondary circuit to produce sparking between said auxiliary sriark-points.

5. A holder of non-conducting material sup porting a pair of conductingmembers of duetile metal having opposed spark-prints separated by aspark'gap, and means including said conducting members in the secondarycircuit of an induction-coil, said circuit also including the usualsparking members, the extent of said spark-gap being variable by bendingone or both of said conducting members to separate them to a greater orless extent.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this llth day of March, 1903.

CHARLES F. SPLITDORF.

l'Vitnesses:

NA'r. B, CnATseY, F. \V. BARKER.

